


The Words On My Skin

by Stellar_Alley



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Pennywise (IT), Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Eddie Kaspbrak - Freeform, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Heathers References, Heathers: The Musical References, M/M, Reddie, Richie Tozier - Freeform, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie loves Heathers, Sonia Kaspbrak's A+ Parenting, Soulmates, beverly marsh is an amazing friend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:15:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24075787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stellar_Alley/pseuds/Stellar_Alley
Summary: Summary: In a world where the first words that your soulmate says to you are written somewhere on your body. And Richie and Eddie are cursed with some of the weirdest first words ever.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 5
Kudos: 103





	The Words On My Skin

Eddie Kaspbrak was your average teen living in a not so average world. It was similar to the Earth we know and live on, except for one crucial thing. Every human gets a phrase magically tattooed onto a random part of their body on their 16th birthday. But these are not just random words, they're the first words that your soulmate says to you. It doesn't say who says them or when they're said... All it says is their first words to you.

Eddie was cursed with the shittiest first words, ever.

The memory is clear in his mind. The boy stayed up all night, waiting until exactly 5:16 am, his exact time of birth. He waited to see the words appear. When the time came, he didn't feel anything, no searing pain as they burned into his skin or any wiser about love.

Anxiously, he ran to the bathroom to scan his entire body for the first words. Frantically examing his arms and torso before reaching his legs, his thighs. The words appeared on the inside of his left thigh, perfectly in the middle. And there they were, in neat and precise calligraphy.

Fuck me gently with a chainsaw

"You've gotta be shitting me".

For the next year, he wore pants, even on the hottest days of summer. He only dared to wear shorts going no shorter than his knees, in fear of them sliding up and revealing his embarrassing words.

Who the hell even says that?

Eddie then did some intense research to find out that it's a line from the 1989 movie, Heathers. And Eddie refused to watch it, thinking that it was stupid.

Why are the first words that my soulmate says to me a fucking movie reference?

And Eddie kept wondering these thoughts, for a whole year. His mother always seemed irritated whenever he mentioned his soulmate. He knew why... The words pissed her off. She interrogated him as soon as he told her what they were (Which he tried to hide from her, but failed). Asking questions like: "What does this mean?", "Why are they saying this to you?", "Do you have a fetish for chainsaws?", "EDDIE BEAR? ARE YOU HAVING PREMARITAL UNSAFE SEX?". He tried to answer each question as truthfully as he possibly could. She grew angry, which caused Eddie to fill with worry and fear. It wasn't his fault his soulmate was pouty mouth who was a fan of shitty 80's movies. He didn't have a choice...

But he grew to accept these words on his skin. He often found himself awake during the late hours of the night, simply tracing the words, letter for letter with his index finger. It soothed him. Just the thought of how he has a soulmate always calmed his nerves. That there was someone out there who would love him unconditionally. The idea warmed his heart and filled his stomach with butterflies.

Before Eddie turned 17 he realized that he wasn't as straight as he thought he was. It had been something he'd been thinking about ever since he kissed Suzie Henderson during his freshman homecoming dance, and hated it. She was a nice girl and all, cute even. But there was nothing there, no spark, no butterflies, and certainly no mention of any chainsaws. So he knew it wasn't her, but if it wasn't her then who was it? Any time his friends talked about the latest issue of Playboy or some female superhero with extra cleavage, the brunette always found himself uncomfortable and never giving his true opinion. He'd simply make a joke and laugh it off, hoping no one noticed how he barely glanced at the female's body, instead, focusing on her facial features and the way her hair flowed.

Then, on the day of his seventeenth birthday, he mentioned some fake friend that was gay to his mother. He wanted to see how she would react, so he could come out. He was surprised, to say the least. She acted as if the friend had killed someone, saying random things about how it's a sin and that they weren't created to like the same sex. Those words broke Eddie's heart. As he knew now he could never truly come out to her since he wouldn't be accepted.

After an hour of silent sobs, he knew that he needed to get out of this hell house as soon as possible. So he slowly got off his bed, shuffling into the bathroom and closing the door behind him so Sonia wouldn't be able to see her son wipe away the tears on his bright red cheeks.

I knew she'd react like this...  
She's always hated the gays. I don't know why I thought I'd be the exception, maybe since I'm her son and she claims to love me more than anything else.  
If my own mother can't accept me... then who would?

That thought lingered in Eddie's mind as he threw a sweater on and slipped his sneakers onto his feet. Sonia had already passed out on the couch since it was 10 pm. Realizing the time, Eddie wondered where he'd go at that time of night. His stomach ached from the lack of food. After his mother's response to the gay question, he had lost his appetite and barely touched his food at dinner.

Eddie quietly slipped out the door and into the cool night air. It filled his lungs and cleared his mind, slightly. But the thought of his newfound sexuality still clouded his vision. He walked down the street, going deeper into the city.

With no earbuds to listen to music, Eddie simply let the sounds of his surroundings be his melody. The rustling of the trees, the wind that blew by every now and then, the distant sound of car honks, and the sound of water trickling down into the sewers. He didn't let his mind focus too much on where the water was travelling, as the idea of the sewers disgusted him. All of that piss and shit, the greywater... He literally shuddered at the thought.

He barely even noticed that he'd already walked by his favourite pizza place. It was called John's. Named after the man who created it, John. It's a family-run business and it runs until the late hours of the night. Which was perfect for someone like Eddy who was dying to eat his feelings away.

~

Richie Tozier dreaded the day he turned 16. He couldn't stand the thought of knowing that the words that would be on his body were so much more than just letters, it's like they'd defy him. He hated not knowing anything about his soulmate or any context about their first confrontation. But he can't control the universe.

The minute the clock struck 4:16 am on March 7th, the exact time he was birthed 16 years ago the words had etched themselves onto Richie's body. He didn't want to see the words, so he didn't look... Well, he didn't intentionally look. He couldn't just not look at his body. He was kinda disappointed to see it wasn't on his wang... but he had no control over where it ended up. After two weeks of showering and catching himself staring in the mirror, he wondered if he even had his first words.

What if I don't even have a soulmate?

Mostly everyone's first words were in plain sight, on their arms, shines, knees sometimes faces, and the most common, the wrists. But he couldn't see his, and he didn't want to start looking for it in fear of being let down. But during one sleepless night, he dragged himself out of bed in a curious daze and stood in front of his mirror, and began searching his entire body.

Finally, he'd given up, "That's it, I'm unlovable" he declared to his reflection. He ran his hands through his knotted curls, gripping the ends. He kept his hands there and tilted his head to the side, unable to keep looking at his reflection. A moment had passed before he slowly let his eyes look back at himself through the mirror, but still tilting his head to the side. That's when he noticed a little mark behind his ear.

Suddenly Richie jumped into action, pushing all of his hair to the side, pulling at his ear to get a better view. But the temple of his glasses was in the way (The temple is the part of the glasses that rests on the ear). So Richie tossed his glasses off, plopping them onto the counter, but he realized he couldn't see shit so he put them back on.

He let out a sigh of frustration while he examined the items on the counter beside him. One of his mother's hairbands caught his eye. "Genius!" Richie muttered under his breath, snatching up the hairband and going to work on tying his curls into a small, and weak ponytail. It looked like shit but it did the job, it kept his hair up and away from his ears.

With his hair out of the way, Richie went to work. He used one hand to move his ear out of the way and his other hand to move the temple of his glasses up so he'd be able to read the words inscribed on his head.

Fuck, I hate change

That's all there was, short and sweet. Richie didn't know what to do with this information. Once he double-checked, and triple checked, he needed to know for sure that's what it said. He slipped back into his room and retrieved his phone from his bed before going back into the bathroom. It took countless tries to get the picture where his ear was out of the way and his glasses weren't blocking it. But he hadn't read it wrong, that's what his words really were.

"'Fuck, I hate change'. What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Change... Like me? They hate me changing?" Nothing made sense.

Richie assumed that the change meant the way he changed, somehow... So Richie kept things the same. He used the same old cheesy jokes and wore the same old Hawaiian shirts. He didn't mind though, he liked the way things were when things were normal.

~

(The time probably isn't gonna match up with their birthday's and everything but it's fine. Don't come at me)

Richie was now 17 and gay. Which he discovered after his countless jokes about fucking moms and other girls, that really had no further message, it was a joke, that's all it was. He never joked about doing it with his friends or their fathers, because those were the ones he could see himself liking. (That probably sounds weird, too bad!)

Richie thought about repressing his feelings until... well until they disappeared, or death. But during a steamy game of Truth or Dare with the Losers, he was outed when he refused to kiss one of his best friends, Beverly Marsh. He couldn't. He also couldn't do that to his other good friend Ben, who was obviously in love with her.

The good thing was, the Losers accepted him. They didn't treat him differently or poke and joke about it, life continued on as normal, which was what Richie wanted. After the whole Truth or Dare incident, he grew closer to Beverly. The two had a similar sense of humour and spent a good amount of time together already as they were smoking buddies.

The two loved to watch classic movies together. They'd critique the acting and storylines. Then use iconic lines from the movies as inside jokes later on in conversation. One of their favourite movies to watch was Heathers, the movie as well as the musical.

There were countless days where Richie would be sad or depressed, and Beverly would always try to comfort him. But during the times when things were particularly tough, she'd always slowly start singing 'Candy Store' From Heathers the musical. Slowly getting more and more into it, until she actually put the song on.

"Are we gonna have a problem?" She began, Richie immediately picking up on what she was doing.

"Bev not now...".

But she ignored him "You've got a bone to pick?".

And it always worked out that by the time the chorus rang out through her phone, Richie would be right up there with her. Both of them belting out the lyrics, singing the pain away.

~

It was a little after 10 pm on a Saturday night. Richie's friends, the Losers, were all out at the movies without him, since he had to work. Richie worked at his family's pizza diner, John's. Which was named after his late grandfather, John. Saturday nights were usually pretty busy, but that night was different, slower. It was only Richie and his cousin Sarah working that night. Richie was folding pizza boxes in the backroom while Sarah maned the cash.

"We really need to fix this" Sarah called out to Richie. He poked his head out from the backroom to see her motioning to the cash register and the sharp piece of metal that stuck out from the corner. That piece had been there for god knows how long. It was created when the corner of the cash register cracked and chipped off, leaving a sharp piece of metal in its place. So whenever they opened the cash trey part of the register, they had to make sure to keep there arms/hands elevated or away from that corner, cause it can draw blood.

"I've been saying that since I came out of the fucking whom" Richie shrugged, "Just put some tape over it like everyone else" he suggested before going back into the backroom.

The chiming of the bell above the door indicated that a customer had just entered the diner. "Howdy hey, welcome to John's pizzeria, what can I do for you today?" Sarah tried her best to give a genuine smile as the customer approached the counter.

Eddie gave her a weak smile before responding, "hmm... Can I get a small Hawaiin, please?".

Eddie had 15 dollars and some coins in his fanny pack that was around his waist. He never left his house without it, since he was prone to asthma attacks and that's where he kept his inhaler, among other things, as well as some spare cash. The small brunette was also pretty hungry so he could want a full pizza for himself.

Sarah nodded, punching the order into the cash register, "Okay that will be $17.50" she told the customer.

Eddie handed over $15 in cash and began rummaging around his fanny pack for the rest of the money. "One moment, please" He mumbled.

"I'll be right back with your pizza" Sarah informed him as she turned to go make the pizza. On her way to the back, she poked her head into the back room where Richie had begun watching videos on his phone. "Hey, go get the rest of the money from that customer, I gotta go make a Hawaiian", she told her cousin before heading off. Richie sighed and rolled his kneck.

Who the hell likes pineapple on their pizza?

He thought as he pocketed his phone and made his way over to the main counter where the customer was standing on the opposite side. He had fairly straight brown hair, but Richie couldn't make out his facial features since he had his head tilted down, looking through his fanny pack.

Eddie didn't notice the other boy approach the counter, too lost in thought, trying to mentally calculate the number of coins he needed and how much he had. If there was one thing he hated, it was counting and calculating change.

"Fuck, I hate change" Eddie muttered a little louder then he should have. He had finally found the right amount of change.

Right after Eddie finished his sentence, Richie clicked the button to open the bottom part of the cash register which holds the money. The words the costumer said had struck a chord, deep inside of Richie, causing his arms to sag a little as his mind began to wonder. As the cash trey slide out, the sharp little piece of metal collided with Richie's right arm.  
He had forgotten to move his arms.

The metal made a cut in the boy's forearm, clean and precise, blood immediately escaping the wound. Pain sliced through Richie's arm as he let out a little yelp, grunt, thingy. His eyes immediately went down to his arm, which he began to grip.

He tried not to groan at the pain but his mouth got the best of him, "Fuck, me gently with a chainsaw" He cursed heavily, unaware of the movie reference he had just made.

Suddenly the customer spoke up, "What?" Their voice filled with shock.

"WHAT?" Richie roared, the pain caused him to lash out.

"W-What did you say?" Eddie's voice was suddenly filled with worry.

Is he alright?  
Holly shit he's bleeding.  
oh my god

Richie tried to not sound too mad, "huh? Oh, it's a fucking movie reference from-"

"Heathers," The two said at the same time. They both made eyecontact at that moment. Suddenly everything clicked, they both realized what the other had said. The two had the same thought.

Is he my soulmate?

The idea clouded both of their heads, but Eddie had to quickly push the thought away, this guy was bleeding and needed help. Their undying love was gonna have to wait. With that, the brunette rushed around the counter and dumped the contents of his fanny pack onto a clear spot on the counter.

Richie took a step back, unaware of what the boy was gonna do, "What the hell are you doing?".

"Fixing up your damn arm, look!" Eddie motioned to the blood that was now dripping onto the floor.

Richie could feel his legs get a little wobbly, only now realizing how much blood he'd lost.  
"S-Shit" He wobbled towards the counter for extra support, as he got a little light-headed.

(There isn't that much blood, I'm making this sound way too extreme)

Eddie ripped open a portable packet that contained a disinfectant wipe. He noticed that his patient's gaze had glazed over, so he rushed to his side.

"Hey man, you okay?" Eddie reached out to grab Richie's arm, catching his attention. Eddie reached out and grabbed Richi's chin, positioning it down to make sure he was looking at him.

"I-I think so" Only then did he notice how much shorter the customer was compared to himself, even tho Rich was pretty sure they were the same age. The realization caused a light smile to spread across his face.

Eddie went to work on cleaning up the wound and disinfecting it. When he looked up at the wounded boy he saw the smile spread across his face, he furrowed his brow which only made Richie begin to laugh, "What? What's so funny?", Eddie stopped to glare.

"Y-You're just so, small! And cute..." He continued to giggle as the shorter one rolled his eyes.

"Wow, I try to help and this is the thanks I get"

"Hey! I called you cute too" Richie's arm got pulled by Eddie since he needed a better look at the cut.

"Yeah, thanks" Eddie's tone was sarcastic but he tilted his head down. He made it seem like he needed to look closer at the wound when he was really hiding his rosy cheeks.

In the end, Eddie patched Richie up with some paper towels and bandaids.

Sarah re-entered the main part of the diner with the pizza box in hand. To her surprise, she saw the costumer and her cousin sat side by side on the floor. With their backs leaning against the counter and their shoulders beside each other. She also noticed how their pinky fingers were crossed together, something small and cute.

Richie explained everything to Sarah. The money, the cut, the blood, he even dropped a little hint about them being soulmates. He told his cousin how he wanted, he needed, alone time with this guy... his soulmate. She only needed a little push before declaring she was clocking out for the night, reminding her cousin to close down before he left.

Returning to the diner he found his little doctor had taken a seat in one of the booths they had near the window. He'd already started on his second piece of pizza by the time Richie made his way over to him.

"Do you mind?" Richie asked, gesturing to the open booth.

"Be my guest" To Eddie's surprise, his patient didn't sit in the seat across from him, instead, claiming the spot right beside him. He tried to not smile as he readjusted his seating position so his back rested against the window and he could face the other boy.

"I'm Eddie by the way"

"Well Eddie, can I steal a slice of Za?" The other boy asked, gesturing to the open box of Hawaiian pizza with his wounded arm.

Eddie immediately wrapped his arms around the pizza box, sliding it towards himself, and away from Richie. With a small yet goofy smile plastered across his lips, he said: "Only if you tell me your name first".

"Richie... My name's Richie" Their eyes met, and suddenly there was a spark. As if a flame had been lit inside of the two that hadn't been there before. It caused the two to smile a little deeper.

Eddie pushed the box over towards Richie, "Who the hell calls pizza, Za?" he asked, half laughing, but half-seriously cause who the fuck does that?

This made Richie's jaw drop in fake shock. "I had trouble pronouncing it as a kid!" He protested while Eddie's laugh only grew stronger. The sound made Richie's heart beat a little bit faster. It was a sound that he wouldn't mind hearing for the rest of his life.

~

It had been over an hour since they finished the pizza, but they still sat facing each other in the booth, shooting questions back and forth and cracking jokes. "Okay, so where is it?" Richie asked eagerly as Eddie's smile faltered a little. "Oh come on Eds, I'm your fucking soulmate, show meeeee" he begged, dragging out the E.

"Only if you show me first!" He demanded, causing Richie to playfully roll his eyes. Without missing a beat, the trashmouth took his glasses off and leaned down, pulled his ear and pushed his hair back. Eddie sat up a little straighter as he tried to find the perfect angle to view the words above Richie's ear.

He studied the words for a moment, slowly moving his hand up and brushing his fingertips over the neat calligraphy. "Fuck I hate change" Eddie read allowed.

The touch sent shivers down Richie's spine. Eddie's touch was so soft and gentle, Richie wanted to just lean into him and melt away. He let the moment linger after Eddie lifted his finger away before letting his hair fall back into place and moving to sit normally.

"You know... I was worried about this, about you" Richie began saying something he'd never told anyone, "The whole hatting change, I always thought you hated me, and the way I've changed".

Eddie's eyes went wide with sympathy, his hand moving to rest atop of Richie's hand, "What? Rich that's crazy, I-I could never hate you" he stuttered slightly. Even though he'd only just met Richie, he knew that he wouldn't truly ever hate him, cause there was something between the two that was inseparable.

Richie began to lean towards Eddie, "Good" was the last words that slipped from between his lips as he placed them against Eddie's soft pink lips. The kiss was light since he was unaware if Eddie wanted to kiss him so soon. He didn't want to move too quickly. But Richie couldn't seem to help himself. Their lips parted for only a moment before Eddie leaned in and kissed him back.

This time when he boy's lips parted, they let their foreheads lean against one another's. Eddie's hand slowly moved up towards Richie's face, slipping his hand up into Richie's messy curls. Positioning his fingers perfectly, so he cups the side of Richie's face while still having one of his fingers brushing against his first words, just above his ear.

Richie let his long arms dangle over Eddie's shoulders. Their breaths were synched up, low and slow, unlike their pounding heartbeats. Richie slowly moved his head and whispered to Eddie, "Okay now you have to show me...", Eddie could practically hear the smile on his lips. Actually he could feel it too since the other boy's cheek was brushing up against his own.

"Fine" Eddie smirked before turning and facing the open window. "Mind closing the blinds, I really don't want anyone seeing this" He requested. Richie nodded and slowly slid out of the booth, his hands slipping away from Eddie's, leaving him wanting more.

Once all of the blinds were closed, and no one could see this from the street. Richie then grabbed a loose chair and placed it in front of him, sitting backwards like the flamming gay he is.

Eddie glanced at him and let out a breath before slowly starting to unzip the zipper and pull his pants down. "WAIT! Shit dude at least buy me dinner first" Richie's voice was tainted with anxiety as he didn't want to go that far yet.

Eddie let go of his pants and let them fall to the ground as he slapped his forehead with his palm, a little overdramatically but it got the point across. "Jesus... Richie, I'm showing you my words not my dick" he said in a deadpan voice, he tugged the end of his shirt down, making sure it went down over his butt.

The tension quickly evaporated when Eddie moved his leg so Richie could see the words inscribed on his inner thigh. Richie was blind without his glasses but sometimes even with his glasses, so he jumped to his feet and knelt down beside Eddie. He made sure not to get too close to that area, in fear of freaking the other out.

He examined the letters, one by one before requesting to touch them, "May I?".

"S-Sure" Eddie squeaked. He anticipated for Richie to make his move when he suddenly felt his index finger move slowly over the words, stopping right when the words did, not going any farther towards that area. He was thankful. Although he knew he probably loved this boy (even though they'd just met), he wasn't ready to give himself away just yet.

"Fuck me gently with a chainsaw" The boy who knelt before the other laughed lightly to himself before standing up to meet the other's gaze.

"Yeah what the fuck dude? Do you know how many hot days I had to wear long pants cause of your dumbass?!" Eddie joked, pulling his pants back up.

"What can I say? I love my queen Heather Chandler" He simply shrugged in response.

Eddie raised a brow, "Who?".

"W-Wait, have you never seen Heathers?" Eddie shook his head, "HOLLY SHIT! You need to watch it! You literally have the most iconic line from the movie tattooed on your fucking leg" Richie exclaimed.

~

Once the two realized how late it had gotten, or early since it was now 2 am and decided to start closing up. Eddie helped with somethings as Richie's arm was still in pain and he wanted to aid. Afterwards, Richie walked Eddie home. They took their time, walking hand in hand.

Eddie stopped right in front of his house, all of the lights were off indicating that his mother had gone to bed. Which was good so she wouldn't see what Eddie did next. He pulled the taller boy down and kissed him. A spark of passion was created that lasts a couple of moments before Eddie pulled away.

Eddie asks, "What now?", his voice was small and quiet. He looked up at Richie and with the help of the streetlamp above them, the light shined perfectly over his face causing his brown eyes to become pools of gold.

"Well, I usually jerk off for about an hour when I get home-". Eddie jokingly gasped and lightly punched Richie's arm.

"No asshat, us... What happens to us?" Eddie asks again, this time with a little bit more seriousness.

"Well... I don't know what to tell you Eds. But whatever it is, we'll do it together" Richie smiled as Eddie's eyes filled with hope and wonder.

"Really?"

"Yes! Of course. We're soulmates baby! It'll be you and me for the rest of time" And with that, they kissed again, and again and again.

Word Count 4784

Ah! I had so much fun writing this one shot, I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did.

I have so many more ideas and I'm so excited to share them with you.

Until next time

So long and Goodnight.


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